Package opener



June 11, 1935. w. P. MARTIN 2,004,371

PACKAGE OPENER Filed June 2. 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 PACKAGE OPENER Filed June 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pat ented June 11 v I I -E i r S rAokAGE OPENER, I

I William P. Martin; suekliy; message a plie- .1 v h ie 1 0561111 l e fia r 9 w? l r v Application June-2, 1933; Serial nogevasss t fiolai ll (Cl; 131-959) q My invention relates or pertains to various advantageous features of novelty and betterment in appliances for opening orslitting packages'or containers whereby access totheir contents may be readily had. I.

More specifically, the inventionconcerns improved means for cutting or slitting the' packcontentsreasily available. I .v 10 An aim of the invention is to provide afconstruction of this character. which merely cuts the container without removing any portion! thereofand insuch a manner as :to leave a tab to cover theopening through which .the ciga rettes may be extracted in the usual facile manner. I I

I I A further purposeof theninventionis to sup-, ply improved means of this type which will not ;cut orinjure the cigarettes whilethe package 20 housing them is beingoperated upon.

duction of an apparatus of; this general character which' is operated by a spring motor so that .the act ofqplacing the packagetin position re'- 25 a cutting blade to performvthe slittingpperation.

Still an additional salient feature of the new device is the elimination of all vdanger :or injury to the user oftthe appliance. 30

understand the invention fully both from structural and functional standpoints, in the accompanying drawing, a present, preferredzembodimentof the invention hasfbeen illustrated in-detail, and, for simplicity, like reference-nurmerals have been employedsthroughout theysev eral views to design-ate the same, parts. Inthe drawings. I y-Figure; 1 is a vertical section through theiappliance with a part shown in elevation and with the cigarette package in position forbeing slit;

v Figure 2 is athorizontal section through the structure, withno cigarettepackagepingposition;

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the spring-motor Y -mechamsm Inside elevatlon. t l t' meshing with asmall gear I28 on the lower en- .spectively. m a I 1 '1 I I Referring to the drawing, it willbe seen that the device includes au'casing II .containingyany suitable form or, type" ofsp ringemotor" adapted tobe ractuatedport released by a catch I2;: which .whenr pushed 'releases the spring-motor! mech- 55 "the motor.

Hsire'd. ages or wrappers of cigarettes torender their An added feature of the invention is the pro- I n -posite end pressingagainst the arm. I I

leases a catch, thusallowing the motor to revolve tToylenable those acquainted withythis art'to with 'an antifriction roller 1 I2 I. I

oscillationonshaft H3 and is equipped with a: coiled spring- I24 pressing at one end'againstthe against afixed stop I25.

Figure 3 shows J the; slit or cut the package, a portion only of thellatter being depicted; andlargedlend of shaft I 3'so that-the unwinding of anism to causea one-half revolution of an upright shaft I3 whichis operatively connectedto As-is customaryflwith spring-motors of fthis general form, the spring of the motor referred to may bewoun'd up by turning the handle I4 5 which may be detachableor-demountable, if de- Motors ofthis character, such as are shown PatentsfNos; 621,185 and 666,074.,with slight modi- 'fication, -may be satisfactorily employed in the present mechanism. w Referring more specifically tosuch a suitable I spring-motor mechanism which may be satisfactorily employed; attention is directed to the illustrations of Figures Land-5. Y I The upstanding catch or release finger I2 is carried on orsecured to a horizontal arm H2 rockingly mountedon a fixedshaft I I3; such arm being normallyiyieldingly held against a stationary stop l I6 by means of a coiled spring II 4 en" circling shaft H3 and having one end bearing against a stationary abutment I I5 and its fopby a bow-spring H9 fastened at one end to the fulcrum-pin H8 and" at its other endat I20 to the hook, 'thtail of the latter b eing' equipped Another lower rock-arm I 22 is mountedfo-r projection H 5 and at its opposite enda'gainst the asVievved' in Figure 5', the arm normally resting '40 At its free end such arm I22 carries an upstanding lug or projection I23 adapted -by its against; rotation; I l

movements torelease shaft} l3 to, and to lock it The poWer springQ not shown, is encasediin a housing or shell I26 andthe central spring actuated shaft I3I thereof has aylarge gear-I21 forms theshaft rotation function.

, Such lower end portion of shaft l3 hasxa carn the'spring, when it is permitted to expand, perand pushes except when released by the inward movement of finger l2.

When finger I2 is forced inwardly, it rocks arm H2 correspondingly against the action of its spring and such movement of the arm carries the hook HT with it.

In view of the fact that the hook overlaps and engages a portion of the outer surface of arm 522, the latter also is rocked in like manner, causing lug 23 to release projection I38, whereupon cam i253 and shaft i3 begin to rotate under the action of the power-spring functioning through the intermediate intermeshing gears i2! and 128. i

As soon as cam 29 begins its rotation, it engages the roller l2! on the tailofthe'hodkand rocks the hookabcut its axis sufficientlytorelease it from arm i22, whereupon vsucharm, under the influence of its spring I2 5, again swings back against its stop ready to engage the next cam projection i353, ,whereby for eachactuation of the finger l2, shaft 13 will make one-halfrevolution only, even though the finger 12 remains pressed inwardly. 7

Upon release of the finger, it and its arm H2 return automatically to their original unoperated positions and the bevelled hook H1 again overlaps engages the lower arm i2 2.

jfrom a main support [9 from which the wall I! extends upwardly, and such support [9 is apertured at 2! to provide for the sliding movements of the element l2. 1

The inner end wall lljoins together two parallel sidewalls 22, 22 spaced apart a distance practically equal to the thickness of the cigarette packages to be slit by the device, the outer vertical edges or margins of suchside-walls being recessed in -register at 23 for the reception of the fingers and thumb of the operator while he grasps the package itinto the space between the sidewalls.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that 'a portion of the top surface of the plate or support T9" forms the floor of a compartment ;or pocket height at 2e, 24 to be of the same height as the wall I which is slightly less than the height of the package 18.

Shaft I3 above the bearing-member It has :a round head 25 fixedly held thereon by a pin '23 or otherwise, whereby the head revolves with the shaft, the upper face of the head having two pairs of upstanding studs 26, 26 designed and adapted to 'fit in correspondingly-spaced holes of two thin, wafer-like, double-edge blades 21, '2"! which locate-the two blades in proper position with relation to the axis of the shaft.

Above the blades a clamping or holding disc 28 is used which is apertured toconform to "the positions or locations of the pinsor studs, such disc being firmly; and securely heldrin iplace b-y a knurled nut 29 on the top, screw-threaded end of the shaft.

From what precedes, it will be apparent that the blades are firmly clamped on the head by the structure described.

As is clearly depicted, a substantial operative portion of each sharp-edged blade extends beyond the periphery or margin of both the head and the blade clamping or securing disc, such protruding parts of the blades constituting their active cutting or slitting sections.

.It will be observed also that the blades are arranged at an oblique angle to any radius of the head-extended through the blade, this arrangelment of parts being .resorted to in order to pro- ;cure-the especial-orparticular shearing and cutting action hereinafter referred to.

.ilt mayibe notedin addition that the blades maybe reversed end for end and also edge for edge,'whereby by such adjustment or modification 50f lpesitionreach :blade maybe made ;to have four active cuttingparts, whereby when one sectionebecomes dull iaz new one; may be usedrto replaceit.

The appliance operates practically asifollows: rWhen thepackage I28 :of cigarettes :is inserted or introduced between the companion sider-walls 22, 22 and is ,pushed inwardly fully home, lithe container, which is ordinarily made of paper, =possibly covered'iwith awrapper of cellophane, necessarily engages the release bar .l-a'an'd pushes it along ahead of it into, the cavity 'in the wall in. iBy theztime thehpackage of cigarettes:hasbeen introduced into such :pocket'or compact- -ment, the member 112 will rzhavemeleased the spring-motor which rapidly revolves the shaft and its outstanding blades in the direction indicated by the arrow for :.a half revolution. ,During'the first portion of such rotation, the

mechanism, including the blades is acceleratlangular'positien of the blade on-it's su orting,

revolving-ahead. l v

It is important that the relatively fiimsypaper of the package s'hallnot cave inun'der-sudh cor- -ner slitting action, and this is successfully-aceompli'she'd due tolithe fact I that-such c'orner'dfthe package is held in position-by the cumulative supporting-andbracing action 01: the correspondin'g 130p and wide narrow side wal-ls of the package, supplemented-by the fact- 'thaitin-cut- -tin'g 'the bother the blade advances and at the same time i's more er-less' lengthwise across the corner. l 1 rsuch :initi'al glancing or oblique corner but haWing bee'n successfully negotiated without :crnmpling th'e paperand without outting br' in- 'Jjlll'ing'lthe "cigarettes, the blada as 'w ill beizrcad- :ily "understood, bein'g introduced between the top ends of the cigarettes and the 'under-surface of the top rwall 'of the package or container; the

blade advances through the package and slits a partfiof thewider side wall and the full widthof the narrow side-wall which bears against the abutment wall 11;? DuringI-all, or a material part, of such cutting action, the :blade,rwhile performing aha-cutting function, is a'simultaneously dra'wn lengthwise to effect whatanayi'perhaps be termedqa slicing ac- -tion.1 j

The final cut of a portion of the other wide side-wall is brought about more like the action of a pair of shears, the blade functioningasfone element of the shears and the top surface of the part 24 of the corresponding stationary wall acting as the companion or correlated elementof the shears; 1

The complete cut 32 (Figure 3) having been j made, the blade automatically stops in the position of the lower blade in Figure 2 and the slit package is removed ,by hand from thecompart ment defined by the walls I1, 22. g I

By temporarily turning back the paper tab 33 just above the out 32, one or more cigarettes may be abstracted from the package in the usual manner, and after these have been taken out the remainder can be readily withdrawn as desired.

The outstanding characteristic of this mechanism is the peculiar manner in which the blade does its work, because experience has shownthat the desiredresult can be satisfactorily accomplished by this mechanism, whereas experimental appliances working on somewhat different failures. i p t The cutting mech-anismo'f the device is usually covered or housed in a shield 34 which overprinciples have demonstrated themselves to, he

lies the path of travel of the knives, so thatthere is practically no danger, of anyone being injured or cut by the apparatus, and in ordinary service the fingers of the operator do not approach the knives. i i

Those acquainted with this art will readily understand that the invention defined by the appended claimis not limited and restricted to the,

precise and exact details of construction, and that modifications may be made therein without 'de- 1 parture from the heart and essence of the inven-,

its material benefits andadvantages.

Iclaim: l n

In a cigarette package opener, thecombination ofa floor, an end and two sidewalls upstanding from said floor and unitedly forming a compartment with an open end adapted to receive and snugly accommodate a package of cigarettes adtion and without the loss or sacrificeof anyof vanced into said compartment by sliding through said open end on said fioor, a spring-motor, a

shaft rotated a half revolution only by each, actuation of said motor, a member in said com-, H

partment in the path of insertion of said packblade occupying a position on said support oblique to the radiusof the shaft throughthe center of the blade, whereby one of said blades'dur ing a half rotation of the shaft first engages and in a slicingmanner cuts through the top portionof an upright corner of the stationary package resting onthe floor of and confined by the walls of said compartment between the top ends of the cigarettes in the package and the adjacent inner surface ofv the corresponding top wall of the package and then completes the slit of the walls meeting at said corner and finally slitsthe wall; opposite to one of said first package walls, said i final out being comparable to that of a pair of shears wherein the blade forms one cutting elementof the shears and the end of one of said compartment walls constitutes the correlated cutting element of the shears.

WILLIAM P, MARTIN. 

